UVA and UVB damage

Wearing a daily sun cream is a good idea and whichever sun cream you're choosing you should always go for one with broad spectrum protection which filters both UVA and UVB. The main difference between these two types of rays is the wave length - but they both damage skin in different ways.

Paul explains: "UVA is linked to cell aging and long term skin damage and is implicated in some skin cancers.

UVB causes sunburn and direct damage to our cell’s DNA and is thought to cause most types of skin cancer."

Naturally in summer UVB radiation becomes more of a problem, but we're exposed to both types of rays throughout the year - meaning a sun cream in the winter is actually a great way to keep your skin looking its best.

Stefanie says: "In the winter your skin can still be exposed to significant amounts of UVA because it penetrates window glass and clouds - and even has an impact on gray days.

I always recommend my patients to use the same sun protection level of broad-spectrum SPF50 in summer and winter. But if you really feel you need to reduce your SPF in winter, don't go below SPF20 - 30."